Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced on Friday that his government will intensify efforts to control the flow of undocumented migrants. This statement comes ahead of a visit by high-ranking American officials to Mexico next week. López Obrador’s commitment followed a phone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden, where they discussed this issue.
López Obrador mentioned that the “urgent” immigration situation will be the focus of discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior U.S. officials in Mexico City on Wednesday. He emphasized that Mexico would strengthen containment measures in its southern regions, particularly along the border with Guatemala.
The Mexican President stated, “Our agreement is to continue working together, and we currently have a proposal to strengthen our plans.”
The Biden administration announced on Thursday that Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Liz Sherwood-Randall, the White House Homeland Security Advisor, would accompany Blinken on his visit. Blinken is expected to discuss “unprecedented illegal immigration” and outline how Mexico and the United States will address security challenges at the border. This includes measures to enable the reopening of major entry ports along their shared border, as stated by State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Miller further added in a statement that the U.S. delegation “will emphasize the urgent need for legal pathways and additional enforcement measures by partners across the region.”
The history of illegal immigration between the U.S. and Mexico is complex and has evolved significantly over the past several decades, influenced by various U.S. administrations’ policies and global socio-economic conditions.
The U.S. and Mexico have faced ongoing challenges with illegal immigration, particularly along the southwest border. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border have resulted in expulsion from the U.S., a change from pre-pandemic practices where apprehension was more common. This shift is due to a public health order implemented in March 2020 aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19, a policy that was continued by the Biden administration
